Raghib Allie-Brennan

Yesterday, I took the difficult but necessary step of voting no on the reappointment of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) Chair Marissa Gillett. This isn’t personal. Chair Gillett has been a fighter for ratepayers in many ways, but Connecticut residents are frustrated and rightfully so.

The federal government’s decision to freeze $14M in education aid is unacceptable and our kids in Bethel and Danbury will pay the price. Danbury is already facing a substitute teacher crisis and a school budget stretched 21% just to meet basic needs. In Bethel, even after public outcry, we’re still $750K short forcing discussions about cutting specials and music teachers.

Exciting news! HB 5111, my bill to protect mobile home residents from unfair sales practices, is officially getting a hearing in the General Law Committee. This bill is a direct response to what happened at Shady Acres in Danbury, where a loophole allowed a park sale to move forward without giving residents a fair shot at purchasing their community.

I’m excited to share that yesterday, HB 7040—the bill I introduced to address unfair insurance denials—passed out of committee and is now heading to the House floor for a vote!

At yesterday’s public hearing on Senate Bill 647, we heard a wide range of perspectives on how this proposal could impact energy costs, consumer protections, and funding for key programs.

Last week, we held a public hearing on HB 7040, the bill I introduced to tackle unfair insurance denials and ensure access to life-saving medical treatments. While I had originally pushed for immediate legislative action, the bill was converted into a study to examine health carrier coverage guidelines, utilization review practices, and mandated coverage for critical treatments.

Tomorrow, the Energy & Technology Committee will hold a public hearing on several important bills aimed at addressing energy affordability and the public benefits charge. These proposals could have a direct impact on your utility costs, and I want to ensure your voice is heard.

Today, I met with members of the Connecticut Sentencing Commission for an update on the subcommittee that Chair Stafstrom and I requested be created to examine sentencing outcomes in domestic and intimate partner violence cases.